Tourism Ministry Anticipates Return of Chinese Tourists

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand has been looking forward to the return of Chinese tourists following China’s recent announcement of easing restrictions on international flights.

 

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told China’s official Xinhua news agency on Saturday (31 Dec) that his ministry was "very pleased to learn that China will implement new border control measures from January 8 onward,” adding that this was “long-awaited good news for Thailand".

 

In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for 28% of the nearly 40 million international tourists to the kingdom.

 

Minister Phiphat noted that relevant ministries such as those of tourism and sports, health, and transport are expected to coordinate and prepare for the upcoming surge in Chinese visitors.

 

According to the official data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), international arrivals in 2022 were expected to reach 11.5 million, exceeding the initial target of 10 million.

 

The minister also said the target set for 2023 was 20 million foreign visitors in Thailand, with the figure since raised to 25 million following China’s decision to ease pandemic measures. He added that authorities are confident in achieving the new target.

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230101175815325

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-01-02

 

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[mikebell]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand has been looking forward to the return of Chinese

flu'.

[JoePai]

Thailand should follow other countries and test them on arrival

[ezzra]

Thailand in their desperations for tourists numbers, and fear of alienating big brother China, will accept documented sick people with bad Covid strain to come to Thailand and infest it's people and other tourists and overflow it's health system, we live in interesting and dangerous time folks... 

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Thailand should follow other countries and test them on arrival

Aren't other countries testing them pre-departure?

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Aren't other countries testing them pre-departure?

On arrival I believe. How could they trust them to have been tested? Many aren't even doing that.

[ozimoron]

8 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Thailand in their desperations for tourists numbers, and fear of alienating big brother China, will accept documented sick people with bad Covid strain to come to Thailand and infest it's people and other tourists and overflow it's health system, we live in interesting and dangerous time folks... 

China is not necessarily the source of new strains. More often than not it isn't and no new strains have been detected from China in recent arrivals. It's also likely that anyone affording to travel is likely vaccinated anyway. The vaccines won't prevent transmission anyway. The main danger is to the unvaccinated, both the tourists themselves and the locals.

[daveAustin]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand has been looking forward to the return of Chinese tourists

Has it, or just the few that might profit from it?

[anchadian]

Another thread on incoming Chinese tourist.

 

Mandatory insurance and testing of Chinese tourist on arrival.  

 

That should work.

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Has it, or just the few that might profit from it?

Is it really just a few... or the many who will accommodate and feed them, take them on the tours, ferry them to an island, flog them an overpriced picture cling filmed to a cheap polystyrene food tray! There's money in numbers.

[SuperSilverHaze]

China has 1B people that have been locked down for years. Moreover, some have property that may need attending to here. There will be millions. Having stated that the Chinese economy is in sad shape and looks only to get worse. The world economy even more so.

 

This year is sort of a catharsis for the working class and those without much sense running around the world when an economic tsunami approaches.

[whiteman]

God help us when they arrive

[pomchop]

Just when Thailand is recovering from several years of covid....let's roll the dice and let 300,000 Chinese come for a visit in the first quarter.  What could go wrong? 

 

  If it all backfires and covid goes wild in Thailand and the economy takes two steps backward there will be a lot of finger pointing but of course no one will accept an ounce of blame.

[CANSIAM]

The flood gates are wide open while many other countries are requiring CV19 tests for arrivals from China..... see what the sickness numbers are by mid February here. Won't be long and you will need a damn test to fly internationally from here again...........

[WHansen]

Chinese new year 2020 all over again, the country knowingly allowing millions of infected people to travel world wide spreading their home grown virus.

 

[lujanit]

It is stupidity to let the Chinese into Thailand without testing them on arrival.  Then again the entire Thai government is grossly stupid only caring about how deep they can get their snouts into the trough.

[ezzra]

And this is what in the very near future for us here in Thailand...

‘Super variant’: New XBB15 Covid strain ripping through US and UK ‘worst in the world’...

A dangerous new Covid subvariant is wreaking havoc across the US and UK, with one expert labelling it the “next big one” and “the worst variant of the world right now”.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/super-variant-new-xbb15-covid-strain-ripping-through-us-and-uk-worst-in-the-world/news-story/5e8c00c9a800a9fd37e375ef2fd7b2e2

[Enzian]

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

 

  If it all backfires and covid goes wild in Thailand

then I will be forced to decamp again to Europe and California in turn, best thing that could happen to me.

[ozimoron]

12 minutes ago, ezzra said:

And this is what in the very near future for us here in Thailand...

‘Super variant’: New XBB15 Covid strain ripping through US and UK ‘worst in the world’...

A dangerous new Covid subvariant is wreaking havoc across the US and UK, with one expert labelling it the “next big one” and “the worst variant of the world right now”.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/super-variant-new-xbb15-covid-strain-ripping-through-us-and-uk-worst-in-the-world/news-story/5e8c00c9a800a9fd37e375ef2fd7b2e2

Another variant that appears to have not emerged in China. It sounds like countries should be restricting travel from the US.

 

Dr Feigl-Ding also hit out at the decision by a string of nations – including Australia – to introduce new restrictions for Chinese travellers, claiming the threat posed by XBB15 was far worse, despite China’s current Covid crisis.

[Joe Farang]

12 minutes ago, ezzra said:

And this is what in the very near future for us here in Thailand...

‘Super variant’: New XBB15 Covid strain ripping through US and UK ‘worst in the world’...

A dangerous new Covid subvariant is wreaking havoc across the US and UK, with one expert labelling it the “next big one” and “the worst variant of the world right now”.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/super-variant-new-xbb15-covid-strain-ripping-through-us-and-uk-worst-in-the-world/news-story/5e8c00c9a800a9fd37e375ef2fd7b2e2

You're saying we should be more worried about the new USA strain of Covid, rather than anything from China?

Would you suggest that Americans should be tested before being allowed to travel?

[zzzzz]

3 hours ago, JoePai said:

Thailand should follow other countries and test them on arrival

Thailand should follow Morocco and not allow ANYONE who is coming from China to enter!!!

[Seppius]

These Chinese tourists when they do arrive will almost certainly never take their masks off, so we will all be safe as houses won't we? ????????

[Jai Dee]

A speculative conspiracy theory troll post has been removed.

[PETERTHEEATER]

2 hours ago, Seppius said:

These Chinese tourists when they do arrive will almost certainly never take their masks off, so we will all be safe as houses won't we? ????????

And so will the shrimp.....????

[whiteman]

These Chinese tourists when they do arrive will almost certainly never take their masks off, so we will all be safe as houses won't we? 

 

Until they need to spit and fart

[Andycoops]

And no mention of covid tests but then it's not their department it's all about the numbers...

[TingTonger]

4 hours ago, Joe Farang said:

You're saying we should be more worried about the new USA strain of Covid, rather than anything from China?

Would you suggest that Americans should be tested before being allowed to travel?

That was reported on South Chine Morning News , China is Deflecting, Wake up 

[daveAustin]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Is it really just a few... or the many who will accommodate and feed them, take them on the tours, ferry them to an island, flog them an overpriced picture cling filmed to a cheap polystyrene food tray! There's money in numbers.

No, it is the few in comparison. The article speaks for Thailand as a whole, while not many locals benefit from Chinese tourists like they do from regular ones. Many do not want them here. 

[Rimmer]

A misleading troll post has been removed

[newnative]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

No, it is the few in comparison. The article speaks for Thailand as a whole, while not many locals benefit from Chinese tourists like they do from regular ones. Many do not want them here. 

      In 2019, there were 10,995,000 Chinese visitors to Thailand.  While the popular myth, which you seem to subscribe to, is that most were here on budget tours, that is not the reality.  The reality is that over 60% of them were traveling independently on their own, not with tour groups.

    That equates to 6,597,000 Chinese choosing on their own where to go, what places to visit, what hotels to stay at, what tourist sites to see, what restaurants to eat at, what entertainments and amusements to stop at, what shops to shop at, and everything else each and every day of their visit--which they also independently controlled the length of. 

     If you're wondering, that above figure of independent travelers is more than all the 2019 tourist visitors from Russia, Australia, the UK, France, Germany, and the US combined--your 'regular ones', I suppose.  So, even if not a single tour group from China visited Thailand in 2019, the Chinese market of independent travelers would be more valuable to Thailand, and to all the many  businesses associated with and depending on tourism, than the tourist market from any other country--far more valuable.  

    Just taking one example, 6,597,000 Chinese independent travelers vs. 994,000 of your 'regular ones' from the UK.  I think the real 'few in comparison' is staring at you right there.  Whether traveling independently or in groups, Chinese tourists in 2019 were spending more per day in Thailand than any other country--again, far more.